Lexus Tops J.D. Dependability Study, Again

The results are in for this year’s J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study and it appears Lexus has topped the rankings for the second year in a row.

The Japanese automaker not only had the highest ranked brand, with those surveyed in the 2013 study experiencing only around 71 problems for every 100 of its vehicles, but also the highest ranked model, the RX, with those surveyed experiencing just 57 problems for every 100 examples of the luxury crossover.

By comparison, the most dependable vehicle in last year’s study was a Lexus LS, which had a substantially higher 72 problems per 100 vehicles.

For those unfamiliar with the study, it measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year-old vehicles. In this case, those that were introduced for the 2010 model year. For the 2013 study, more than 37,000 owners were surveyed.

Overall dependability for a vehicle or brand is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.

Overall dependability for brands averaged 126 PP100 in the 2013 study--a five percent improvement from the 2012 average of 132 PP100. The dramatic change in results year-on-year shows that the long-term dependability of three-year-old models has improved significantly since just one year ago.

When it comes to the top five most dependable brands, after Lexus comes Porsche, Lincoln, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz. The most improved brand since last year was Ram, with 122 PP100, down by 52 PP100, while the worst ranked brand this year was Land Rover, with owners of its vehicles experiencing 220 PP100.

Toyota vehicles, including those from Lexus and Scion, did best overall, with seven of the Japanese automaker’s vehicles ranking best in individual vehicle segments. However, General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] was also impressive, with four of its vehicles ranking best in individual vehicle segments.